Prospect Update: Jack Kopacka

By Thomas Harrington

Jack Kopacka, a 2016 fourth round pick, played for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL this past year, the team he has spent his entire junior career with.

As a rookie in the OHL, Kopacka scored 20 goals and 43 points in 67 games for the Greyhounds, leading to his selection by Anaheim. In his first year after being drafted, Kopacka’s numbers improved, especially in the playoffs. In the regular season, he played in 65 games and scored 30 goals and 49 points. While it’s a little disappointing that he had fewer assists than the season before, seeing his goal total jump up by 10 is huge for the young winger. His 30 goals ranked fourth on the team, while his 49 points were seventh. However, in the playoffs, he stepped up in a big way. After scoring four points in 12 playoff games in the 2015-2016 season, Kopacka scored five goals and 11 points in 11 playoff games this past season. He ranked second on the team in both goals and points during their postseason run.

Similar to his fellow 2016 fourth round pick Alex Dostie, Kopacka’s ability to raise his game in the postseason is a good sign for his future. However, he’s still just 19 and is at least a year away from making it to the professional ranks. Hopefully, he can have another successful postseason run a year from now.

After his junior season ended, Kopacka joined San Diego on an ATO. He didn’t make it into any regular season games with the club, but he did play in three of their playoff games. He went scoreless in them, as he wasn’t being counted on to shoulder the team’s offensive burden. However, it gave him a good idea of what he needs to work on this coming season to be successful in the professional leagues.

This coming season, I’d like to see Kopacka continue to increase his offensive output. He scored 30 goals this past season, and I’d like to see that number climb to 35. 40 would be great, but I’d be satisfied with 35. He was one point short of 50 this past season, so I’m hoping for something in the neighborhood of 60 points for him this coming season. He’s not the most offensively gifted player, but he’s willing to go to the dirty areas to make plays and often gets rewarded as a result. He needs to keep getting better at his physical play, but so far, I’ve liked how he’s progressed since he was drafted.

Kopacka likely won’t turn into a premier NHL goal scorer, but he could become an effective power forward in the future. His NHL debut won’t be anytime soon. He’s got another year of juniors ahead of him, and likely at least one full season in the AHL, if not more, after that. Personally, I think he’ll make his NHL debut in three years time, with a shot at a full-time job in four years. However, his final season of juniors will be very telling in terms of what kind of future he’s going to have in the NHL. As a left-wing prospect, he’s got decent odds of sticking with the Ducks long-term. While the team isn’t as short of left wingers as they have been in recent years, it’s still a position that Anaheim doesn’t have a ton of depth in.

Kopacka wasn’t a first round pick, but he was still signed to an NHL deal when he had at least one more year of junior eligibility, clearly a sign of how highly the Ducks think of him. His entry-level deal won’t begin until he turns pro, and it will last for three years when it does. That means the Ducks hold Kopacka’s rights for at least the next four years before they have to worry about re-signing him, which I believe they will do. He won’t ever be a great scorer in the NHL, but he’s a player willing to go to the dirty areas to make the play, something that you can never have too much of.

My next prospect update will be on Kalle Kossila.

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August 21st, 2017

Filed under: Ducks News Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, Ducks, ducksnpucks, jack kopacka, Prospect update